Guitar construction



Jan. 8, 1963 a. F. BURKE GUITAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 1. 1960 I INVENTOR. flay/v FEZ/E/kf United States Patent 3,072,007 GUITAR CONSTRUCTION 7 Glen F. Burke, 4502 E. 17th Ave., Eugene, Oreg.

Filed Aug. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 46,685

Claims. (Cl. 84-267) This invention relates to an electric guitar, and has as its primary object the provision of an improved guitar which is characterized by a metal neck portion, preferably aluminum, which is hollow, thus in combination with the body of the guitar affording an additional sounding board.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a device wherein the hollow aluminum neck adds resilience and tone to the instrument;

A further object of the invention is the provision of an electric guitar provided with such a hollow aluminum neck which extends entirely through the guitarto the base, and has the body portion attached to the sides thereof. 7

An additional object of the invention is the provision of an electric guitar of this character. wherein the strings extend the full length of the guitar. Instead of being attached to the tone chamber at points spaced inwardly of the outer end of the latter, they are attached at one end to a tail piece at the outer end of the tone chamber, are held lengthwise of the guitar along the neck, which latter extends through the tone chamber, and are attached at their other ends to the head on the neck.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a guitar having an elongated aluminum hollow neck whereby the fingerboard may terminate at the end of the neck, rather than extending down over the body of the guitar as is conventional, thus making all the frets more readily accessible;

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a guitar which may be sold in disassembled form, and assembled by the ultimate user.

Still other objects reside in the combinations of elernents, arrangements of parts, and" features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter,

and disclosed in the accompanying drawings 'wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept,

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View of one form of electric guitar embodying features of the instant invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the guitar of FIG. 1, with the bottom part of the body removed.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the single metallic casting comprising the neck of the guitar, and the extension thereof which extends through the body.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 55 of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing. f

Having reference now to the drawing in detail, there is generally indicated at .10 a guitar constructed in accordance with the present invention. The guitar includes an elongated neck 11, which is longer than in a conventional guitar, and which is constructed preferably of cast aluminum, magnesium or other nonferrous metal and provided with a hollow V-shaped groove 12 extending substantially the entire length thereof. The upper end of the casting comprises an outwardly flared head 13, which is tapped for greater tonal range.

tional taps may be provided for the provision of tuning keys 15, as shown in FIG. 1, perpendicular to the plane of the instrument.

Integral with the neck portion 11 there is a body portion 16, which is preferably in the form of a substantially right angle parallelpiped block, having a hollow interior 17, and provided with side apertures 18, for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

The open V-shaped groove 12 in the neck portion is covered by a keyboard section 19, which is substantially flat, and which is provided with the customary frets 20, over which the strings 21 of the instrument extend, the strings being connected to the tuning keys 15 in the usual manner. The body of the guitar is preferably made of light wood or the like, and, as best shown in FIG. 2, is comprised by two complementary half sections 23, each of which has inwardly turned end portions 24 and 25 at its base and its juncture with the neck respectively. These inwardly turned flanges are apertured, for the purpose of receiving bolts or rivets 27 for'securing the body portion of the rectangular member 16, so that, in effect both the hollow interior 17 of portion 16 and theV-shapedcutaway portion 12 of the neck all effectively function'as a sounding board. Top and bottom closure plates 29 and 30, respectively, are provided, as best shown in FIG. 1, and the usual bridge32 is provided for the passage of the strings. It is noted that the strings, instead of being connected to the top plate 29, extend to the end of the body, and are secured to a tail piece as indicated at 33, thus extending the full length of the instrument and providing The extra length of the neck portion 11 permits agreater tonal range, and at the same time precludes the necessity of extending the keyboard 19 downwardly over the body of the instrument as is usually the case. The customary pick-up 35 is provided interiorly of the guitar, and carries tuning screws 26 to vary the volume of the tone. v

A suitable wire or electricallyconductive cord 37 extends from the member 35 to any desired electrical amplifier or the like.

By virtue of the elongated hollow aluminum neck having an integrally formed body portion, an electrical in: strument of high improved tonal qualities is produced, which is characterized by the other advantages above enumerated.

When sold as a kit, the neck unit 11 and its associated integral body portion 16 are provided as one piece, with g the two side body sections as additional pieces, and the as at 14,'to include side tuning keys if desired. Addi-.

top and bottom plates 29 and 30 all supplied separately. The keyboard 19 may also be supplied as a part of the kit, disassembled from the hollow neck 11 to which it is subsequently attached by gluing when in kit form, andthe strings 21 and keys 15 are then assembled as may be desired by the individual user.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided an improved electrical guitar, which accomplishes all the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1

1. A guitar comprised by a neck having at one end an integral outwardly flared and downwardly turned head and at the other end an integral substantially right angle parallelpiped body portion having a substantially right angle parallelpiped opening through the height, a tone chamber comprised by two complementary half sections of the same height as the body portion of the neck, means securing the half sections of the tone chamber on the opposite sides of the body portion of the neck, top and bottomclosure plates secured over the body portion of the neck and over the half sections of the tone chamber, a tail piece secured to the end of the body portion of the neck disposed away from the head and overlying the top closure plate, tuning keys rotatably mounted in the head, and strings secured between said tail piece and tuning keys and disposed over the body portion, the neck and the head.

2. A guitar comprised by a neck of non-ferrous light metal having at one end an integral outwardly flared and downwardly turned head and at the other end a substantially right angle parallelpiped body portion having a substantially right angle parallelpiped opening through its height, a tone chamber comprised by two complemem tary half sections of the same height as the body portion of the neck, means securing the half sections of the tone chamber on the opposite sides of the body portion of the neck, top and bottom closure plates secured over the body portion of the neck and over the half sections of the tone chamber, a tail piece secured to the end of the body portion of the neck disposed away from thehead and overlying the top closure plate, tuning keys rotatably mounted in the head, and strings secured between said tail piece and tuning keys and disposed over the body portion, the neck and the head.

3. A guitar comprised by a neck having a V-shaped groove in its top and at one end an integral outwardly flared and downwardly turned head and at the other end an integral right angle parallelpiped body portion having a substantially right angle parallelpiped opening through its height, a key board covering the V-shaped groove in the neck, a tone chamber comprised by two complementary half sections of the same height as the body portion of the neck, means securing the half "sections of the tone chamber on the opposite sides of the body portion of the neck, top and bottom closure plates secured over the body portion of the neck and over the half sections of the tone chamber, a tail piece secured to the end of the body portion of the neck disposed away from the head and overlying the top closure plate, tuning keys rotatably mounted in the head, and strings secured between said tail piece and tuning keys and disposed over the body portion, the neck and the head.

4. A guitar comprised by a neck having at one end an integral outwardly flared head and at the other end an integral substantially right angle parallelpiped body portion having a substantially right angle parallelpiped opening through its height, a tone chamber comprised by two complementary half sections of the same height as the body portion of the neck and having plane inner sides with inturned flanges along same, bolts through the inturned flanges securing the half sections of the tone chamher on the opposite sides of the body portion of the neck, top and bottom closure plates secured over the body por tion of the neck and over the half sections of the tone chamber, a tail piece secured to the end of the body portion of the neck disposed away from the head and overlying the top closure plate, tuning keys rotatably mounted in the head, and strings secured between said tail piece and tuning keys and disposed over the body portion, the neck and the head. a

5. A guitar comprised by a neck having at one end an integral outwardly flared and downwardly turned head 7 and at its other end an integral substantially right angle parallelpipe-d body portion having a substantially right angle parallelpiped opening through its height, and said neck having a V-shaped groove in its top terminating at one end at the head and at the other end at the body portion, a key board covering the V-shaped groove in the neck, a tone chamber comprised by two complementary half sections of the same height as the body portion of the neck, means securing the half sections of the tone chamber on the opposite sides of the body portion of the neck, top and bottom closure plates secured over the References Cited in the file ofthis patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 549,966 Hutchins Nov. 19, 1895 1,881,229 Young Oct. 4, 1932 2,793,556 Maccaferri May 28, 1951 2,964,985

Webster Dec. 20, 1960 

1. A GUITAR COMPRISED BY A NECK HAVING AT ONE END AN INTEGRAL OUTWARDLY FLARED AND DOWNWARDLY TURNED HEAD AND AT THE OTHER END AN INTEGRAL SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLE PARALLELPIPED BODY PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLE PARALLELPIPED OPENING THROUGH THE HEIGHT, A TONE CHAMBER COMPRISED BY TWO COMPLEMENTARY HALF SECTIONS OF THE SAME HEIGHT AS THE BODY PORTION OF THE NECK, MEANS SECURING THE HALF SECTIONS OF THE TONE CHAMBER ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BODY PORTION OF THE NECK, TOP AND BOTTOM CLOSURE PLATES SECURED OVER THE BODY PORTION OF THE NECK AND OVER THE HALF SECTIONS OF THE TONE CHAMBER, A TAIL PIECE SECURED TO THE END OF THE BODY PORTION OF THE NECK DISPOSED AWAY FROM THE HEAD AND OVERLYING THE TOP CLOSURE PLATE, TUNING KEYS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN THE HEAD, AND STRINGS SECURED BETWEEN SAID TAIL PIECE AND TUNING KEYS AND DISPOSED OVER THE BODY PORTION, THE NECK AND THE HEAD. 